A clinician examines an elderly Irishwoman who has been a patient in psychiatric institution since the 1940s and learns more about her past, including being involved in a love triangle with a fighter pilot and a priest. Jim Sheridan's drama, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Rooney Mara, Adrian Dunbar and Eric Bana
This old-fashioned drama is a tale of romance, tragedy and injustice. Vanessa Redgrave plays Rose McNulty, an elderly Irish woman who has spent most of her adult life in a mental institution. As she recounts her life story to a sympathetic psychologist (Eric Bana), the film jumps back to the early 1940s, following a younger version of Rose (Rooney Mara) as she falls in love with a dashing RAF pilot (Jack Reynor). Living in a small village, Rose attracts unwanted attention from several men, including a spiteful, jealous priest (Theo James) who becomes obsessed with her. From here, the story builds towards a soapy, far-fetched twist, and many viewers will see it coming a mile away. Mara ensures that we feel for Rose, and James is surprisingly effective as the man who ruins Rose's life, but The Secret Scripture isn't as moving or intriguing as it should be.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Roseanne Florence Clear, "Rose" | Rooney Mara |
| Old Roseanne, "Lady Rose" | Vanessa Redgrave |
| Michael McNulty | Jack Reynor |
| Father Gaunt | Theo James |
| Dr William Grene | Eric Bana |
| Nurse Caitlin | Susan Lynch |
| Jack Conroy | Aidan Turner |
| Dr Hart | Adrian Dunbar |
| Anne McCartney | Pauline McLynn |
| Tailor O'Donnell | Tom Vaughan-Lawlor |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | Jim Sheridan |
